Love Sex Magic
by InsanityisReal
Summary: Tosh and Owen go on a date. Pheromones, awkward silences, and snow ensue. Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or the title; that's a song by Ciara, I think.


Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. If I did, Jack and Ianto would have had a long, drawn-out sex scene by now.

Love Sex Magic

_Shit, I can't believe I actually agreed to this_, Owen Harper thought. He didn't usually fraternize with his coworkers—there was nothing more awkward than having to talk about work stuff to someone who knew exactly what you did last night. Even worse, having to talk about work stuff to someone you just dumped.

"Ready, Owen?" Tosh walked up to his desk.

"Yeah." Tosh looked pretty, Owen had to admit. She had changed out of her normal work uniform of shirts and jeans, and was wearing a low-cut blue dress with a tan sweater casually thrown over it. Owen stood up. "Let's go." The duo left the Hub.

Tosh and Owen arrived at their usual bar 5 minutes later. They found a table in a more secluded corner of the dining area, and sat down.

"So…" Tosh began, obviously searching for a conversation topic. "Beer and pizza?"

"Sounds good." Owen replied with a faint smile. The waiter came over, and they made their respective orders, grateful for something to break the silence. Unfortunately, when the waiter left, the awkward silence returned.

This is going terribly, Owen thought. Across the table, Toshiko looked simply mortified. Owen had to say something. "So, Tosh," Owen began, valiantly trying to think of something to say. "How do you like working for Torchwood?"

"Oh, I like it a lot. It's really interesting." Tosh blushed, wishing she could think of something more insightful to say. "The alien technology is just fascinating." Their food came. They ate in silence for a while, and Owen tried again to start a conversation. "What kind of technology interests you in particular, Tosh?"

"Mm, I don't know. It's all amazing. I mean, it's so comforting, but still frightening, to know that there's life out there. Sometimes you just feel so incredibly small and insignificant. Like, even though we work for Torchwood, saving the world, our place in the universe is still impossibly tiny. We barely matter." Tosh realized she was rambling, and blushed. "Does anything interest you, Owen?"

Owen paused. "Well, yeah. There is this one thing. One race of aliens—I forget their names—they created these exceptionally strong pheromones. One spray, and even the most frigid chick in the room will be dying to shag you." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell Jack, but I sort of nicked a few bottles of it. They're dead useful, I have to say." Owen looked sheepishly at Tosh.

Tosh frowned. "I thought Jack banned taking home items from work, after what happened to Suzie."

"Um, yeah, I suppose he did, but…" Owen shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "Hey, he has those 51st century pheromones, isn't it the same thing? Besides, these are hardly as drastic as the glove was."

"Do you have some with you right now, Owen?" Tosh asked pertly.

" Well…yeah. I always carry some with me." Owen furrowed his brow, embarrassed.

"Can I see it? Just curious." Tosh cocked her head to one side.

"I guess so…" Owen hesitantly produced a small bottle filled with a pale pink fluid from his jacked pocket and handed it over to Tosh. She turned it around in her hands, her face a mask of professional curiosity.

"Oh, what the hell," Tosh muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." Tosh proceeded to spray herself with the pheromone. Instantly, a strange look appeared on Owen's face.

"Come on, let's go." He said hurriedly, standing up. Tosh was surprised. She hadn't expected it to work that fast. Smiling to herself, she got up, and allowed Owen to help her with her sweater. Owen let out an agonized moan. "Come on Tosh, hurry up!" He glared at a college student who was staring at Tosh, spaghetti hanging out of his open mouth.

"Okay, okay." Tosh laughed. They rushed to the cashier, quickly paid for their food, and left the restaurant.

Once outside, Tosh turned to face Owen. "Your place or mine?" She asked, smiling at how cliché it sounded.

Owen's face lit up. "I really don't care, as long as we get there fast. As you might imagine, I'm kind of in pain here."

"Wrong trousers, hmm?" Toshiko giggled.

Owen scowled. "Completely. Come on, let's go to my flat, it's only a few blocks from here."

Tosh hesitated for a moment, then took hold of his outstretched hand. She could think of the consequences in the morning, and would just enjoy the moment. Owen wrapped his fingers tightly around hers, and they quickly walked off towards his flat. Tosh wondered how they would look to others—would they think they were friends, lovers, coworkers, or exactly what they were: two people whose worlds collided, one under the horny influence of an alien pheromone, and one suddenly nervous about the night she had denied fantasizing about ever since Owen walked in on his first day? In that moment, Toshiko realized just how nervous she was. Her mind flooded with all the insecurities that had been slowly gathering in her mind since she woke up that morning. What if Owen was unimpressed by her body? What if he just viewed her as a one-night stand? What if Owen didn't actually want this, and he would regret it, maybe even come to hate her for what she'd done in the morning? What if he only agreed to the date because he pitied her? Toshiko suddenly stopped walking. She had wanted this so much, ached to have Owen's slim, muscular body rocking against hers, to hear his breathing, made heavy by something she had done—a simple twist of her body, maybe, but not like this. She didn't just want the sex; Tosh wanted Owen to want her, too. And not some fake, animal instinct. Toshiko wanted Owen to truly love her, to want her body and her soul, his forever.

"What's wrong?" Owen turned to face Tosh, a mixture of concern and annoyance in his voice.

"Owen." Tosh sighed. "Owen, do you really want this?"]

"What? You? Yes, Tosh, I want you. Now. I want you so much." Owen replied, a bit confused.

"But do you want me, or my body? You're under the influence of a powerful pheromone. You're not thinking straight. You wouldn't even want my body, much less my love, under ordinary circumstances." A light snow started to fall as tears began to drip down Tosh's cheeks.

Owen's brain tried desperately to make sense of what she had just said. He had, admittedly, been a bit distracted by the subtle movements of he body as she spoke. He tried to peer through the pheromone fog, to access his rational thought. He wanted Tosh, yes, but why? He asked himself. What was so irresistible? Oh, the pheromone. Right. But then, a small part of his mind spoke up: he did want Tosh. Not just her body. Tosh, as a whole. She was brilliant. Brilliant and lovely and beautiful. Who wouldn't want her? He couldn't understand her insecurity. Owen quickly made a decision. "You know what, Tosh? I do want you. And I'll prove it." He pulled out a small vial of green fluid. "Anti-toxin. It'll neutralize the pheromone. Swiped it from the vault when Jack wasn't looking, and it really does come in useful." He poured the vial's contents down his throat, swallowing, then shaking his head experimentally, like a dog does to get rid of water. "That's better. Now, Toshiko, I still want you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and they turned towards the bay. It was picturesque—the snow falling into the inky black water, illuminated by the city lights. "You're the closest thing to bloody perfect I've ever seen, Tosh. And I want you, now." Tosh still looked unsure. Owen brushed the tears from her cheeks with feather-light fingers, and pulled her in for a kiss. It was chaste, sweet, overstepping no boundaries. But it was enough to convince Tosh. It was a perfect moment. She felt Owen's honesty in the kiss, as he felt her burning need for him, hidden deep in her heart.

"Let's go home." He took her hand once again.

"It is rather chilly." Tosh felt her entire body relax with his confirmation of affection.

"True. I know some good ways to warm up, though." Owen winked at Tosh, and they resumed their rush to his flat.

----------

Tosh woke up before Owen the next morning. Bright sunlight was reflecting off the bay and new snowfall through Owen's huge windows, promising a beautiful day. Tosh was momentarily confused as to why she hadn't woken up in her own apartment, but quickly remembered. She snuggled back under Owen's soft sheets, pulling the thick duvet up to her collarbone as she recalled the events that had brought her here. She thought of the awkward date, the pheromone, the insecurity, and that perfect kiss—standing in front of the inky bay, she knew she would hold that moment in her heart forever. Going back to his apartment, slowly removing her clothing and steeling herself before walking into his bedroom to meet him. So much love and so much fear. She remembered Owen, masterful in his love, knowing just where to touch her body to make her squirm in pleasure and beg for more. He was worshipping her. And then, in the room warmed by their body heat, arms tight around each other as they came at the exact same time. Tosh had always thought that Owen was rather callous about sex. But when she experienced his concentration, his love, she saw that wasn't so. Or maybe it was just her. Tosh's entire body warmed at the thought. Owen stirred, his head sliding off its resting place on her chest. Owen blinked blearily as the room swam into view. "Good morning." He said, kissing Tosh on the cheek. "Now do you believe that I want you?"

"Without a doubt." Tosh smiled

"I love you."

"What?"

"I love you, Tosh. And not just like I loved shagging you, but I really think I love you. And I'm scared. Love hurts. But it's still the most beautiful thing in the whole wide universe. And I want to share it with you."

Tosh was surprised by his admission, to say the least. Owen had, up until last night, generally ignored her. But then again, they had shared something incredibly special last night. She had always loved Owen, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself for fear of getting hurt. But that's love, Tosh realized. You have to risk getting hurt in order to find something so perfect, you can't remember how you lived without it.


End file.
